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WINTER SPORTING DOPE FROM EVERYWHERE
Ritchie. Withholds Forfeit Fight
May Be Off.
For a. man of his fistic ability,
Lightweight Champion Willie Ritchie
is a reluctant person when it comes
to getting into a ring and' swapping
punches.
Only the other day he postponed
his fight with Harlem Tommy Mur
phy for a second time, the date being
. set for Jan. 30. At the time of this
postponement it was announced that
each scrapper would immediately
post a forfeit of $5,000 to insure the
promoters against any further-hitch.
Now Ritchie is extremely back'
ward about coming through with his
end of the com, and Promoter Coir
orth threatens to call the fight off
entirely if the champion does .not put
up his cash today. Ritchie's manager
says there is no hurry, and that the
money will not be hadd'ed over for
four or five days.
These tactics do not add to the
champion's popularity. On what he
has shown in his last few fights Rit
chie need fear no man in the light
weight division, but his backwardness
.in placing his forfeit is bound to
arouse question of his gameness.
Certainly he is not acting on the
square, either to Murphy, the pro
moters or the public, and his popular
ity, already a slender affair, is being
further destroyed.
Lack of nerve Is a serious charge
to make against any fighter, espe
cially one who has made as great
battles as Ritchie. But the champion
has no one but himself to blame if
these charges are made, and the only
way for Him to offset them is to put
up his coin, get into the ring, and
fight the Harlemite.
Always remember that this Murphy
person is one regular fighter,
Johnny Bates, outfielder, has sign
ed a one-year contract witl: Cincin
nati. J
Players Explain Federal Attack on
National League.
Former National League players
who have lined up with theTederals
give a new explanation of .the fact
that the newcomers have centered
their attack almost entirely on the
parent organization, not molesting
the American.
Various reasons for this procedure
have been advanced, but the players
apparently came closest to hitting the
mark.
They say the American treats its
players with more consideration than
the National, and for that reason
they are not dissatisfied and will not
desert.
Facts that are known to all appar
ently bear out this contention.
Ted Easterly of he White Sox is
the only American Leaguer of note
who is known to have allied himself
with the Feds. Easterly would hardly
haye remained a Sock during the
season, and fear of exile to .Milwau
kee drove him to the Feds,
National magnates, by their past
actions, are responsible for the weak
ness of their position. They have
made themselves vulnerable to al
most any old kind of attack, and are
now reaDine the harvest of broken
contracts andunfulfilled promises.
Take the cases of Tinker and
Brown, who are the best examples to
set before Chicagoans. -
Brown erav&vears of faithful serv
ice to the Cubs. But when it was
thought that he had gone back ha
was immediately released to Louis
ville at & cut in salarv. even though
his contract with the West Siders had
not expired.
Brownie did not think he was
throueh. but he' had no recourse.
and would have remained in Louis
ville f his friend, Joe Tinker, had not
been manager of Cincinnati. Tinker,